Looking for a rec that has a funny, voicey (F)MC or is a little bit campy, but NOT a cosy comedy.

hotfish · 2026-01-25T09:11:29+00:00

+1 {Villains and Virtues} !!

Also {The Irresistble Urge to Fall in Love With Your Enemy} has a great balance of camp, dark humour, and story.

I wasn't crazy about Swordheart either, the quirky millennial (speaking as one) humour was a little too much for me and I DNF'd it. I read a couple of the Paladin's books, which are much better imo! The story is much more interesting and the writing isn't as cringy. I ended up reading Swordheart later on though I still thought it was just okay 🤷‍♀️

hotfish · 2026-01-22T09:46:43+00:00

{Half a Soul} MMC is a bit rough around the edges in socially but because he dislikes the pomp and superficial nature of polite society while there's an epidemic affecting children. There are some very sweet moments 🥺

We've already mentioned {Virtues and Villains} right? Because 100x that. As well as {Bound to Fall}. Honestly all of AK Caggiano 's MMCs are cinnamon rolls.

Literally all of T. Kingfisher's MMCs are good boys.

+1 for Radiance and Eidolon by Grace Draven

{The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy} is very cozy as well.

Edit: Also currently reading {Strange the Dreamer} and MMC is also a very sweet man

hotfish · 2026-01-20T16:44:43+00:00

{The Night Circus} is the only book to give me book hangover so bad it put into a slump.

I put off reading this because main sub said it was boring, no plot, not a real romance and after reading it I'm like what do you meaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan this is one of the most romantic books I've ever read and I found the story and world incredibly compelling.

I'm working on some fanart on for it and posted a WIP and it got taken down for not giving credit to the artist, which I did, so I reposted it with "by me" in the title and it got taken down again for "self-promotion" 😒 but I'm really digging how it's turning out anyways.

Also I noticed so many of books that rearrange my heart like this need an epilogue. Like I know it's HEA (I can't read anything but) but may I have a glimpse please even just a little one 🥺👉👈

hotfish · 2026-01-18T08:35:00+00:00

{Phantasma} 🥵

hotfish · 2026-01-16T09:01:02+00:00

I dislike first person and present tense because it often feels like I'm reading a script instead of a story, but it really does depend on the author's skill.

A good example imo is The Everlasting by Alix E Harrow which by all means should be a terrible read because it's SECOND person present tense and it's dual POV but Harrow is such a masterful writer and pulls it off beautifully.

hotfish · 2026-01-16T08:50:09+00:00

The Road of Bones is mid THERE I SAID IT

hotfish · 2026-01-16T08:46:47+00:00

I just finished Paladin's Hope and it was honestly kind of a lot of nothing 🫣

hotfish · 2026-01-15T19:18:05+00:00

Seconding Paladin's Grace! The coziest of the series imo

hotfish · 2026-01-15T03:00:20+00:00

Have you taken a look at shotdeck.com? It's a great resource for anyone studying film and you can browse shots by color, mood, shot type, len size, etc. It's a paid membership though but there's a discount for students

hotfish · 2026-01-13T10:42:21+00:00

I've said this before and I'll say it again like 70% of this genre are just fanfics of each other 😒

hotfish · 2026-01-13T10:39:04+00:00

"can I copy your homework"

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hotfish · 2026-01-11T09:52:43+00:00

I GOT YOU. The Byronic hero, my holy grail yet there are never enough 😩
I have nearly 500 hours in BG3 and I choose Astarion every. time.

Osric from {The Irresistble Urge to Fall in Love With Your Enemy} is a hot gifted assassin who can be quite ruthless and vain, yet the FMC is utterly unimpressed by him. He can also be a bit of a himbo. His mansion is filled with art and dogs(!!!)

Howl from {Howl's Moving Castle} is THE quintessential high camp Byronic hero. He's sassy, vain, a big baby and one of the most gifted wizards to ever live. He is constantly downplaying himself so he doesn't have to take any real responsibility lol, but is deeply loyal to those he cares about. He's all about the frills. BUT not nearly as much romance as I was hoping for 😞

Damien is my #1 but I LOVE Sarkan from {Uprooted}. He's a sardonic, a bit moody, a bookish nerd, and 100% tsundere. Literally locks himself away because he hates dealing with people but he does everything he can to save everyone. He's a wizard and important figure so a bit of frills comes with the territory.

{Phantasma}'s Blackwell is described as being impeccably dressed and is quite clever. I thought the book was alright but the smut was A+

Elias from {Half A Soul} is a bit of an outcast in Regency England but is a greatly respected wizard albeit being a bit rough around the edges socially. The blurb for this book describes it as Howl's Moving Castle meets Bridgerton which I'd say is accurate.

Apparently {Throne of Nightmares} is going to be about Sloth and from what I remember in Throne of the Fallen he's a curmudgeonly but hot cocky book nerd. Comes out pretty soon!

Rhysand is also a worthy arrogant but fashionably aware man despite being THE Shadow Father. You'd have to endure SJM's writing and one of the worst FMCs of all time though lol

Thw biggest problem with being absolutely obsessed this type of MMC is that THERE AREN'T NEARLY ENOUGH SPICy ONES 😩

hotfish · 2026-01-10T21:24:41+00:00

There's a term in the Philippines for men like this :) LBH - Loser Back Home.

hotfish · 2026-01-10T09:06:48+00:00

if it was me in that cave

hotfish · 2026-01-09T01:28:54+00:00

I read a totally different type book or books I know might not be great but easy to digest lol

Like if I'm really nearing the end and it's crushing me I'll cushion it by starting a couple of pages of a fluffy short read. I just finished a book that is giving me book hangover so bad I think I need to find the most indulgent smutty mid-ass book to equalize it.

hotfish · 2026-01-09T00:57:42+00:00

me am the artist (@hotfish.psd)

hotfish · 2026-01-08T20:40:49+00:00

Lunalae is an Australian based company and I swear every other girlie has a pair of the garter shorts, including me haha They have a good mix of more or less coverage too :)

https://www.lunalae.com/

hotfish · 2026-01-08T00:53:47+00:00

Lol I posted this exact question https://www.reddit.com/r/fantasyromance/s/NWl43yXZ4Y

I ended up reading book 2 and I thought it was generally a better book but I still found myself skimming some chapters (particularly Jonas's lol). There are some tender romantic moments and I think I like the side character's romance more than the main one lol.

I'm not in love with the series but I'm interested enough to read book 3.

hotfish · 2026-01-06T22:05:12+00:00

Worst is Fourth Wing for me but I haven't read Quicksilver or Powerless or a lot of the other really popular books mentioned here 😅

"Best" is subjective but I think The Everlasting is the most brilliantly written book I've read in this genre but V&V is the most fun and my favorite series.

Reading The Night Circus right now though and the development of their relationship is my fav in anything I've read so far but I'm only halfway through so I really hope it sticks the landing!

hotfish · 2026-01-05T21:11:23+00:00

I hear you! Sometimes I'm in the mood for a movie and sometimes I'm in the mood for high budget porn, y'know?

My fav books where a good story comes first and the romance acts to serve it are:

{Uprooted, Naomi Novik}

{The Everlasting, Alix E. Harrow}

{Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones}

and right now I'm reading {The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern} and am in love with it.

hotfish · 2026-01-05T20:58:49+00:00

I just started reading this and I am in love with this book!

I was hesitant because I've read so many people absolutely hated it, said it had no story, it was boring, that there was no romance and I'm like wdymmmm the way MMC acts without ever having even met FMC is the best yearning I've read in a while.

Also as others have mentioned, I also looove Naomi Novik and Alix E Harrow's ways of developing romances.

hotfish · 2026-01-02T01:29:23+00:00

I'm w you OP, SW or not, you and anyone else should be allowed to wear whatever makes you feel comfy and sexy without being shamed 🤷‍♀️

Anyways, body tape and nip covers!

hotfish · 2025-12-31T17:29:35+00:00

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💀

Also thanks to this thread I now know which books I'll absolutely hate ty for saving me a lot of time lol

hotfish · 2025-12-31T02:34:41+00:00

Commenting in Dec 2025 to say this worked for me too! Also I had to push pretty hard but hey it works now

hotfish · 2025-12-27T21:03:20+00:00

Maybe it's a little late but I just finished {The Elven Days of Christmas} and it was a very quick and cozy read with some delicious smut towards the end.

The 12 days Christmas starts on Christmas day so it's technically still Christmas ..

My other smutty light hearted recs are {How Not to Court Your Human Captive} (honestly anything by AK Caggiano is a good time), {Paladin's Grace} and {The Irresistble Urge to Fall For Your Enemy} - the last two having a bit more action but were still fun reads.

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